What Can Adults Do to Maintain Good Oral Health?

Everyone can benefit from following the standard guidelines for oral health: flossing daily, brushing twice daily, maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding tobacco use, and having regular dental checkups. Staying on top of your oral hygiene will help you avoid gum disease and will keep your teeth healthy and strong for a lifetime. However, particular groups of people have unique concerns when it comes to oral health.

What Can Adults Do to Maintain Good Oral Health?

Adults are living longer and keeping their natural teeth longer than ever before. Nevertheless, the American Academy of Periodontology points out that older people have the highest rates of gum disease and need to do more to maintain good oral health and protect themselves from tooth loss.

You can keep your teeth for your lifetime. Here are some things you can do to maintain a healthy mouth and strong teeth.

• Drink fluoridated water and brush with fluoride toothpaste.

• Practice good oral hygiene. Brush teeth thoroughly and floss between the teeth to remove dental plaque.

• Visit your dentist on a regularbasis, even if you have no natural teeth or have dentures.

• Do not use any tobacco products. If you smoke, quit.

Oral health problems in adults include the following:

•             Untreated tooth decay. More than 1 in 4 (27%) adults in the United States have untreated tooth decay.

•             Gum disease. Nearly half (46%) of all adults aged 30 years or older show signs of gum disease; severe gum disease affects about 9% of adults.

•             Tooth loss. Complete tooth loss among adults aged 65-74 years has steadily declined over time, but disparities exist among some population groups. If left untreated, cavities (tooth decay) and periodontal (gum) disease lead to tooth loss.

•             Oral cancer. Oral cancers are most common in older adults, particularly in people older than 55 years who smoke and are heavy drinkers.

o             People treated for cancer who have chemotherapy may suffer from oral problems such as painful mouth ulcers, impaired taste, and dry mouth,

•             Chronic diseases. Having a chronic disease, such as arthritis, heart disease or stroke, diabetes, emphysema, hepatitis C, a liver condition, or being obese may increase an individual’s risk of having missing teeth and poor oral health.1

o             Patients with weakened immune systems, such as those infected with HIV and other medical conditions (organ transplants) and who use some medications (e.g., steroids) are at higher risk for some oral problems.

o             Chronic disabling diseases such as jaw joint diseases (TMD), autoimmune conditions such as Sjögren’s Syndrome, and osteoporosis affect millions of Americans and compromise oral health and functioning, more often among women.

Brio-dental.com/mexico-dentist/ Brio Dental offers the most modern technology to ensure all the procedures are of the highest qu A dental implant that runs $1,500 in the U.S. costs just $549 in her office. Crowns and bridges, two of the most expensive dental procedures, are also a third of the price.

Pair that with an El Paso hotel at $100 per night, and Nitardy’s patients still save a bundle. She even sends a complimentary car to pick them up at the airport. (Most patients are unnerved by the thought of an overnight in Juarez, even though the city is much safer now.)

In a 2008 survey of Texas border residents, 49 percent said they had bought prescription drugs in Mexico, 41 percent said they had visited the dentist there, and 37.3 percent said they had journeyed across the border for medical care.

Patients ring up Nitardy and detail the gravity of their oral situations. Some broke their teeth in accidents; others suffered from bulimia or drug abuse. Some have tooth decay so severe they thought they were beyond help. Very few have dental insurance.

The on-site dental clinic has been busy since the doors opened in October 2016. To date, more than 500 patients have been seen during more than 700 visits, resulting in 477 extractions and 82 surgical extractions.

Hospital officials believe that having a dental clinic located inside the hospital has made dental care much more attainable for individuals and families without a primary dentist. According to CCHC’s dental director, Dr. Mary-Margaret Looker, “Emergency room treatment is not usually appropriate for those with dental pain, but many people have nowhere else to turn. Those seeking dental care in the emergency room generally do not follow-up with a dentist because they don’t have insurance, they are on Medicaid and do not know where to go, or they just don’t have a dental provider, therefore ending up back in the ER a few weeks later with the same exact problem.”